We’ve had the most amazing weekend celebrating Bella’s second birthday! It’s late, but I couldn’t let the weekend slip by without posting some of the fun (what kind of mom would I be?!?) … We know Grandma Gail will be logging in tomorrow morning to see the new posts, so this one’s dedicated to you. Lately, Bella will be playing merrily away or running around doing “baby laps” around the kitchen island and she’ll just stop, look up at my husband or me and say, “So happy.” We’ll say, “Is Bella so happy?” and she says, “Yes” with a big grin. She’s an incredible girl … very funny, very active and very, very sweet. We haven’t lost that newborn awe where you just sit and watch and stare in amazement. Maybe it’s because she’s still our only child, so we’re not multitasking siblings. Or maybe it’s just because she’s such an awesome kid. Probably a little of both.

Grandma Gail and Uncle Kory came for the weekend and she was ear-to-ear smiles nearly the entire visit. When we say she loves Grandma Gail, we really mean it. This kid wakes up in the morning asking for Grandma and often goes to bed the same way. Her birthday festivities began on Thursday when I took her out to capture her two-year professional pics. She was good to me — look at those grins and bright eyes! Below are some of my favorites … I’m just now getting through them to post-process and select our final reprints, so I’ll probably post a few more as the week goes on. Grandma and Kory arrived on Friday and we had a blast. Saturday, Bella made her first trip to the Zoo and, subsequently, her very first carousel ride (thanks, Daddy, for taking such a great shot of me and the birthday girl!). She opened a ton of great gifts, including her very favorite red wagon and a new pair of bright green Crocs with Mickey and Minnie decorations. And we can’t forget the beautiful butterfly cake made especially for Bella by Grandma. Thank you, both, for spending the weekend with us and making her second birthday so special. In Bella words, we were and are “so happy.”

Happy Birthday, Bella Bug!